The six Lamaze Healthy Birth Practices below are supported by research studies that examine the benefits and risks of maternity care practices. Therefore, they represent "evidence-based care," which is the gold standard for maternity care worldwide. Evidence-based care means "using the best research about the effects of specific procedures, drugs, tests, and treatments, to help guide decision-making."

Unfortunately, a recent study of women's childbirth experiences showed that interference in the normal processes of labor and birth is extraordinarily common. For instance, labor began by artificial induction for more than one-third of women, almost 70% of women who delivered vaginally were immobile during labor, and 74% of women gave birth lying on their backs.